Harry Potter and the Will of the World
by BrewBreaker
Summary: 6th year fic, only three years too late!  Harry has only recently recovered from the loss of Sirius, and once he does, a vicious attack on him leaves him hurt.  Harry can only do so much, but the Wizarding World demands more.  HG, some RHr.
1. Danger in the Safest Place

A/N: Alright, I may be a three years too late for a sixth year fic, but I've had this idea for three years, and I've suddenly found the determination to try and finish something I've started for once. This is my first fic, so things will improve as it goes along. Please R/R!**  
**

**Chapter One: Danger in the Safest Place**

Every resident of Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, consider themselves to be thoroughly and completely normal. And nothing can be said against them, as far as they are concerned. But of course, like everything in life, there is an exception to every rule, and this exception was currently residing in the smallest bedroom of Number Four.

Harry Potter is not a normal teenage boy by any stretch of the word. Not just because he is being hunted by the most ruthless man to ever set foot on the earth, or his army of equally bloodthirsty henchmen, nor was it because his godfather was killed by falling through an odd gateway into the netherworld. It is because Harry Potter is a wizard, and this fact was the cause of great discomfort in the home of Vernon and Petunia Dursley.

"..that good for nothing boy, just moping around his room like he has nothing better to do," raged one Vernon Dursley, to his wife, Petunia.

"I don't like him any more than you do Vernon, but his godfather….."

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT HIS GODFATHER! I'VE HEARD ENOUGH ABOUT HIM! I DON'T CARE HOW MANY OF THOSE FREAKS LIKE HIM DIE, AND I DON'T CARE HOW CLOSE THEY ARE TO HIM, IT'S TIME FOR BREAKFAST AND I'M STARVING!" stormed Vernon, marching around the kitchen like a bull waiting to charge.

"I'll make you some breakfast Vernon, it's not like we're going to get him to do anything," offered Petunia.

"Well, it's about damn time he starts doing something, you just sit down Petunia, I'll get that little freak to make us some breakfast."

And with that Vernon Dursley marched up the stairs, ready to rouse his nephew.

Harry had spent most of the summer brooding on recent events. For the past three weeks he had barely slept or eaten anything, instead choosing to think about what was happening in his life. He was beginning to come to grips with the fact that he would never see his godfather, Sirius Black, again. But even though he accepted this, it could not heal the pain he felt about this any faster. Instead, Harry chose to brood on happier topics, such as his friends and classes, which while not necessarily happy, at least took his mind off things. His thoughts about his feelings towards a certain red-haired girl, one of his most confusing, yet favorite things to think about, were interrupted by his door being slammed open…

"GET DOWNSTAIRS BOY AND MAKE US SOME BREAKFAST!" screamed his Uncle Vernon, turning his favorite shade of puce for the occasion.

"Alright, Uncle Vernon, I'll be downstairs in a moment," sighed Harry, turning to pick a t-shirt up off the floor.

"NO, YOU WILL COME DOWN WITH ME NOW! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU'RE MOPING AROUND UP HERE, YOU HAVE CHORES TO DO, AND NO ONE TO DO THEM!"

"Well, I've had more important things on my mind, such as how to save the world," retorted Harry, still looking for that t-shirt.

"You save the world? I suppose you mean that freak world that you live in. Who would want to save that world? I suppose that it's filled with people just like you, and you're lazy, good for nothing, lay-about parents and godfather."

With that statement, the wardrobe next to Vernon exploded in a cloud of dust, showering him in splinters and sawdust.

"DID YOU USE MAGIC BOY? WE DO NOT TOLERATE THAT IN THIS HOUSE!"

"MY PARENTS WERE NOT GOOD FOR NOTHING!"

"Yeah, the only thing they were good for was getting killed so we could get stuck with a little freak like you!"

Deciding that he had had enough, Harry reached for his wand that he kept with him at all times. Unfortunately for him, Vernon caught the motion before he could grip the handle.

"YOU WILL NOT POINT THAT THING AT ME! WHEN YOU ARE UNDER THIS ROOF, YOU WILL SHOW RESPECT! IT LOOKS LIKE I AM GOING TO HAVE TO TEACH YOU SOME!"

Once Vernon was through with that tirade, and before Harry could react, Vernon launched himself at Harry, catching him square on the chin, forcing him backwards. With an agility that did not fit his bulk, Vernon landed a kick to Harry's side, knocking him down, and cracking a few ribs in the process. When Vernon drew back his fist once more, a crack sounded in that little room, and what appeared frightened Vernon more than anything at that moment could.

"What is Harry Potter sir's uncle doing to Harry Potter sir?" squeaked Dobby the house-elf.

Regaining his composure, and coming to his feet, Vernon Dursely, calmly told the little creature that he was teaching Harry some matters and that he should leave if he knew what was good for him.

Unfortunately, due to the binding enchantments, Dobby was unable to intervene in anything that wasn't directly related to him. This left Harry trying to defend himself against his uncle.

Dobby knew he had no other choice but to leave Harry and find help. Knowing exactly where to go, Dobby apparated out of Privet Drive and into the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, just as Vernon Dursley landed another series of blows to Harry's body.

Albus Dumbledore is not a man who is easily scared. In fact, nothing seems to ever affect his calm demeanor. This was one of those few exceptions though, as Dobby's arrival and following story affected Dumbledore almost more than anything that he had ever heard.

"Now tell me Dobby, one more time, what was Vernon doing to Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry Potter's uncle said he was teaching Harry Potter sir some manners, but Dobby knows better sir, Dobby knows that Harry Potter's uncle was causing him great harm."

"Alright Dobby, I see. Well in order to get him out, we're going have to get together a team. Could you go to the residences of Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin and tell them to apparate to Privet Drive immediately?"

"Oh yes Albus Dumbledore sir, Dobby will do anything to help out the great and wonderful Harry Potter. Dobby will find these people, and then we will save the noble Harry Potter from his evil relatives."

And with what could be possibly called a salute, Dobby apparated out of the office.

Albus Dumbledore rose from his desk, and with a cold blue fire burning in his normally twinkling eyes, threw some powder into a fire place, and jumped into the green flames to the one person he knew could help the most.

Meanwhile, while all these events were unfolding, Ginny Weasley was currently reading through a letter she had received only that morning. The letter in question was from Dean Thomas, and in it, he decided that he just wanted to be friends. He didn't like the distance between the two of them, and he said that he had already found someone better than her.

Now you would think that someone would be upset, receiving a letter from their boyfriend effectively telling you that you weren't good enough for them and that they had already found someone better. But this was not the case with Ginny. In fact she welcomed the letter. She was angry at the thinly veiled insults that the letter contained, and she knew she was going to have to hex him the next time that she saw him, but all in all, she was not angry at all. This letter presented her with an opportunity for her, and she had waited for this opportunity to present itself since she was ten years old.

A crack, and a subsequent crash startled Ginny out of her thoughts. Deciding that she wanted to find out what was going on, she left her bedroom and went down to the kitchen, where she had been sure that's where the crash had came from. Entering the kitchen, the sight that met her eyes was not what she expected.

"You must come and help the great and wonderful Harry Potter, Mr. Wheezy! Harry Potter is in great danger and Dumbledore sir, sent me to get help for Harry Potter," squeaked Dobby to Arthur Weasley.

Entering the kitchen, Ginny let out a gasp of surprise.

Noticing this, Mrs. Weasley decided to try and get her out of the way.

"Now Ginny, why don't you help me go hang some of this laundry outside?"

"No mum," Ginny said, a fire burning in her eyes, "I want to know why Dobby is here, and why he says that Harry is in danger and needs our help."

"According to Dobby," said Remus Lupin, finally stepping out of the shadows, "Harry and his uncle got into a little disagreement this morning, and Harry was on the receiving end of a physical outburst of Vernon's temper."

"We better get out of here Remus, the quicker we can get to Privet Drive the better. If we step right outside the gate….." Arthur said, as he started to turn towards the door.

"What is this about Harry?" asked Ron Weasley, coming down the stairs, closely followed by his twin brothers Fred and George.

"And can we help?" asked Fred.

Knowing it would do no good to disagree, Fred, George, and Ron followed Remus and Arthur out the back gate, quickly followed by Ginny.

"No Ginny, you can't go, you're much too young," Mrs. Weasley said, grabbing her before she was out of the door.

"But, I want to go help Harry, he needs our help and I'm not going to leave him."

Looking at his daughter, Mr. Weasley knew it was better to allow her to come than tempt fate, and he rather liked having his house in once piece.

"Alright Ginny, you can come, just make sure you don't get hurt, and you have to listen to everything we tell you to do."

With that, Ginny, Fred, George, Ron, Arthur Weasley, and Remus Lupin, all disappeared with a loud crack, headed for Privet Drive.

As he stepped out of the fireplace and into the large cabin, brushing his robes off in the process. Albus Dumbledore knew it had been a good idea to connect Hagrid's hut to the floo network.

"Hagrid," started Dumbledore, "I need you help."

"What is it Headmaster? You know you can count on me for anythin'."

"Yes, I know this Hagrid, and this is why I came to you. You are the only one that will be able to get through the wards at Privet Drive."

"Privet Drive? Isn't that where Harry's….. Oh no, something musta happened to Harry."

"Yes, that's why we need to get going Hagrid. According to Dobby, Vernon Dursley was in the process of, um, let's say, "teaching Harry some manners", when Dobby came to me."

"Well then what are we waiting fer? Let's go 'elp Harry!"

And they strolled out past the Hogwart's gates, and apparated to Privet Drive.

A rag tag group appeared on to Privet Drive, almost simultaneously. Five redheads, a werewolf, an eccentric old man in deep purple robes, and a half-giant looked determinedly at Number Four.

"Alright, everyone, as the blood magic makes this house resistant to magic, we need Hagrid here to force the door down so that we many enter the house to save Harry. Arthur, Remus, and I shall enter after Hagrid, and the rest of you may come in to the house last. If everyone is ready, Hagrid you may proceed."

Hagrid crossed the lawn of Privet Drive with only three steps, and briefly looking at the door, kicked it down as if it were nothing. As soon as it fell, the rest of the group was across the threshold.

"Arthur, Remus, and I myself will go upstairs to Harry's bedroom and look for him, the rest of you, stay down here and try to find Harry's relatives. Stun and bind them if you find them." And with that, the three men proceeded up the stairs, while the rest of them looked through the house for the Dursley's.

"I can't believe that these horrible Muggles did this to Harry," said Ginny, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Yeah I know, it's terrible, and from what Harry says, this may not have been the first time either," responded Ron, voice choked with suppressed emotion.

"Didn't Harry once say something about living in a…" said Fred.

"….cupboard? Maybe we should look in there." finished George.

"Good idea, you two. If those Muggles had wanted to hide him, they probably would have locked him in there. Not like they had any trouble doing that when he was a child anyways."

"WHAT? WHAT IS THIS ABOUT HARRY BEING LOCKED IN A CUPBOARD AS A CHILD?" screamed Ginny, voice shaking.

"Yeah, Harry lived in this cupboard under the stairs until he was ten," said Ron, as he crossed over to it, and undid the latch.

The sight that met their eyes was not a pretty one. Harry lay in the cupboard, barely breathing, with vivid bruises covering his entire body, and blood covering his face where ever the glass from his shattered lenses cut his skin.

"Harry?" murmured Ginny, crossing over to him and resting her hand on his arm, good arm, the other one being twisted to an odd angle.

"Ginny? Is that you?" coughed Harry, leaving a few specks of blood on his lips, "Look, there is something I have to tell you."

"What is it Harry?"

"Ginny I….Gin I…..," unfortunately, this was the moment that unconsciousness decided to claim victory, as Harry's eyes rolled back into his head, and he was swallowed up by the blackness.

"OI! DAD! WE FOUND HIM! HE'S DOWN HERE UNDER THE STAIRS!" shouted one of the twins up the stairs.

As footsteps pounded down the stairs, Ginny settled Harry onto the floor and stood up. Crossing over to Ron, she waited as Remus and Arthur came around the corner.

"We found his relatives," said Arthur, a little breathless, "They were upstairs packing, figuring on making a getaway, but Albus has……." he stopped suddenly, as he noticed Harry laying on the ground, a patchwork of purple and red.

Remus crouched down next to Harry his eyes glistening, as he tried to come to grips with what Harry's last living relatives had done to him.

"ALBUS GET DOWN HERE!" roared Arthur.

As Albus walked down the stairs, the three Dursley's in tow, he stopped as he looked down at Harry, and then back at the Dursley's.

"Did you do this to him?" Dumbledore asked calmly, but no one missing the anger emanating from his voice.

Vernon slowly nodded, and spat back, "The little freak deserved it! Every last punch! Laying around and doing nothing the past three weeks, doing nothing to earn his keep. Waking us up every other night with nightmares, murmuring almost incessantly about Sirius Black, and then some girl named Ginny…"

The others turned to look at Ginny, as she looked down at her toes, a blush working its way into her face.

"We were up to here with his attitude, and I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands." concluded Vernon, looking pleased with himself.

Grasping for their wands, Remus and Arthur jumped at the Dursley's, fully intending to hurt them 100 times worse than they hurt Harry, luckily for the Dursley's Albus Dumledore held the two back.

"Take Harry up to the castle, Madam Pomfrey is expecting him."

"But why not St. Mungo's Albus? Wouldn't that be better for him?" Remus asked.

"Normally yes, but with the present circumstances, we're going want to keep his condition a secret from the public, and besides, Madam Pomfrey is more than qualified to take care of these injuries. You go and apparate him in Remus. The rest of us will be along shortly."

Nodding his agreement, Remus walked over to Harry, gently picking him up, and then disappearing from Privet Drive.

"I suppose the rest of you will want to go to Hogwarts as well?" Dumbledore asked the Weasley's, already knowing their answer.

Murmuring their agreement, Arthur stepped forwards and said, "Yes I suppose we will. We'll stop back at the Burrow quick and get Molly, and then we'll head up there as well."

Then Arthur disapparated, as did Fred with Ron hanging onto his arm, and George with Ginny hanging onto his.

Albus looked back at the Dursley's, and with cold fury in his voice, said, "Don't think that you'll get away with this. Once Harry's back to normal, all three of you will suffer from the wrath of both of our worlds.

"Will you be up to watching them for a while Hagrid?"

"It'd be my pleasure Headmaster."

As with the others, Albus and Hagrid disapparated away towards Hogwarts, this time with the Dursley's in tow.

That evening arrived, and Harry had finally been stabilized in the Hospital Wing.

All of the Weasley's were there, and Remus had left to go explain things to Hermione and bring her back with him if she so chose.

"Well, I've finally mended all the broken bones he had, which came out to five ribs, his left radius and ulna, and his collar bone. He is still unconscious though," Madam Pomfrey said to all the waiting Weasley's.

As soon as she finished her report, Hermione burst into the Hospital Wing, closely followed by Remus and Dumbledore.

"How's Harry, Madam Pomfrey?" asked Hermione, as soon as she caught her breath.

"Well, I fixed all of his broken bones, and I have done all I can do for now until he wakes up."

And so Remus, Albus, and the Weasley's waited.

Later that evening, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were the only ones left awake. Ginny was on one side of Harry's bed, Ron and Hermione on the other.

"Alright you two, I'm going for a walk, all this waiting has me on edge and I need to organize my thoughts," announced Ginny as she left the Hospital Wing.

"Hmmmm…." said Hermione.

"What is it Hermione? Is something the matter?"

"I don't really know, it's just that Ginny has been acting kind of strange since we got here, and she looks horrible."

"I know, I've noticed that too. Ginny seems even more frustrated than the rest of us, but that could be from what took place at Privet Drive while we went to go save Harry."

"What happened there? Wasn't Harry already unconscious by the time you go there?"

"No he wasn't. That's what's so strange, as soon as we found him, he tried to tell Ginny something, but then he was out before he could finish. And than his uncle said something about how Harry was talking about Ginny all summer….and I don't know, it's just kind of strange."

"I suppose so." said Hermione, and soon they were both lost in their own thoughts.

As silence settled down upon them, and with Ron snoring lightly, Ginny came back into the Hospital Wing, and Hermione noticed that she had tears covering her face, and her was in an even worse mess than before.

"Ginny? Is there something the matter?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Yes there is. It's just that…. Just that, Harry tried to tell me something really important before he passed out, and I want to know what that is."

"Do you think he feels the same way about you as you do about him?"

"I don't know, that's the thing. He's never really showed any interest in me other than as Ron's sister, but the way he looked at me today was different."

"I see," Hermione said, "Well anyways, I'm going to try and get some sleep, and I would suggest you try and do the same."

"Yeah you're probably right. I'll be along in a few minutes."

"G'night Ginny."

"Night, Hermione."

As soon as Hermione left the room, Ginny turned her full attention to Harry.

"You have to come back to us Harry, to me. I want you to know once and for how much I love you, and I want to see if you feel the same way about me," tears began falling freely from her eyes, wiping them, and taking a deep shuddering breath before continuing, "I need you Harry, more than you know. Sure I've tried to hide my feelings the past couple of years, but I've never stopped loving you. You need to come back Harry. I love you Harry James Potter, I love you with all my heart."

With her heartfelt speech concluded, Ginny laid her head down on Harry's chest, and the tears began to fall freely.

As soon as come into contact with his chest, an odd feeling came over Ginny. Not knowing what it was, she ignored it, missing the fact that she and Harry had begun to glow.


	2. Once in a Thousand Years

A/N: A few things here. I am not British. I live in the American Midwest, so you'll have to excuse me if I use any obvious Americanisms or butcher something British. I am also not the greatest proofreader, so you'll also have to forgive me for the occasional grammar or spelling error. I suppose I should also mention that I am not J.K. Rowling, I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, and I am not trying to make any money off of this story. Please R/R. 

**Chapter Two: Once in a Thousand Years**

A blinding flash of gold light filled the Hospital Wing, startling all of it's occupants out of varying depths of slumber, all of them except for two. Harry and Ginny were in some kind of…. trance, for lack of a better word, a pale red aura encompassing the both of them.

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Ron, voice still thick from sleep.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" came the reprimanding voices of both Hermione and Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry…"

Mrs. Weasley stood up and strode over to the curtain separating Harry's bed from the rest of the room, think to check on him to make sure he was sleeping comfortably. Upon opening the curtain, she was shocked by what she saw.

"ARTHUR! GET OVER HERE!"

There was Harry and Ginny, with Ginny lying on top of Harry, her head resting on his chest. This would have been enough, except for the fact that they were both encompassed in a glowing aura, this time gold. When you add in the part where they were floating two feet above the bed, you have a very shocked mother.

"What is it Molly, dear?" turning to look at Harry and Ginny, he saw what caused her to sound so distressed. "Oh, dear, oh dear..."

"I don't know what's happening, but we'll just have to separate these two, won't we?" she asked, more for effect than anything. Her mothering instincts taking over, she took two steps forward before Arthur could stop her. As she reached down to try and pry the two apart, a voice came from the shadows.

"Do not touch them!" said Remus, an odd look on his face.

"But why not?" asked Molly, seemingly disgruntled that she was stopped from doing what she thought was right.

"I'm not sure what's happening, but the general rule of thumb is to never touch someone while they're glowing. If you do, you could cause them irreparable harm. If you touch those two, Molly, you may not recognize the two of them when they wake up," said Remus, and then adding, almost as an afterthought, "If they do wake up."

Swallowing the lump that arose in his throat at this announcement, Arthur stepped forward, and placing a comforting hand on Molly's shoulder, said, "Alright Molly, I'm pretty sure that's reason enough to leave the two of them alone until we figure out what's going on," looking at Remus, he continued, "What do you suggest we do Remus?"

"I say we get Dumbledore down here, I'm sure he'll know what's happening, or at least a good idea of what's going on. I'll go get him now." and with that, Remus strode out of the room.

Molly, suddenly realizing, what would have happened if Remus had not stopped her from interfering, wiped a few tears from her eyes, and turned and looked at Arthur. "What if Remus hadn't stopped me, Arthur? We would have lost both Harry and Ginny, and I don't want to lose either of them. Ginny is our only daughter, and Harry might as well be one of our sons."

Losing all control on her emotions, she turned into Arthur's shoulder and cried in earnest.

"It's all right Molly, dear, you didn't touch them and nothing happened. There's no reason for you to cry, you just did what you thought was right at the time. I guess we have Remus to thank for preventing us from hurting the two of them." said Arthur, running a comforting hand through her air.

"I'm so worried. I've never seen something like this before. What if this is hurting them?"

"There's no use in worrying about it until Albus arrives and tells us what's going on."

"I suppose your right." agreed Molly, sitting down in the chair next to Arthur.

* * *

Albus strode into the Hospital Wing, Remus alongside him, just as everyone else beginning to drift off. Walking over and standing alongside Harry's bed, he looked at the two of them, with Remus at his side. 

"I see what you mean Remus, and I may have an idea, of what's going on. Tell me though, was the aura around them any other color at any point?"

"I believe it was gold before I left? Why? Does this mean anything?"

"Yes my dear Remus, it means all the difference. The two alternating auras, paired with the current position that they are in, leads me to one conclusion."

"What is that conclusion Albus? It's nothing bad is it?"

"What is happening is definitely not a bad thing, and if my theory is correct, what is currently happening to young Harry and Ginny is one of the most wonderful things that can happen to two people in this world."

"You don't mean…?"

"Yes Remus, that is exactly what I'm talking about."

"You can't be serious Albus. Harry and Ginny barely know each other, and while I know it's usually only happens to young couples, Harry and Ginny don't even really know each other. Ginny has always liked Harry, we already now this, but it can't just be a school-girl crush. We don't even know how Harry feels about her. You can't possibly even be considering this is what's happening, with no evidence pointing towards it."

"We will not know for certain until they wake up," turning towards the door, Albus gestured towards Remus, "Come Remus, let us get some rest, and we'll find out about what happened when they come out of it. I'll have to see if I can dig up the instrument that I have to test for this occurrence."

"I suppose you're right," said Remus, turning to follow, the two of them left the room for the night.

* * *

Bright, hot, mid-July sunlight was shining through the windows by the time Harry awoke. Waking up feeling the best he had in years, he felt Ginny's head laying on his chest, her iridescent red hair fanned out over him, looking like a blanket of fire. 

Tightening his arm around her waist, he bent his head and kissed her on her forehead, causing her to snuggle closer to him. A sudden feeling of warmth and safety shot through him, causing him to relax. He was startled out of his revere, by the sound of the curtain around his bed.

"Hello Harry, I hope I'm not disturbing anything," said Dumbledore, with his eyes twinkling.

Harry said, along with the faint blush creeping into his face, "Oh no sir, I just woke up, and Ginny's still asleep."

"How are you feeling Harry? You must be terribly sore after what you experienced yesterday." Albus asked Harry, carefully sidestepping the fact that all of Harry's bruising had disappeared and all his lacerations were closed and healed cleanly as well.

"That's the thing Headmaster, I feel the best that I've ever felt in my life."

"I am not surprised at that one bit Harry."

"Why is that sir? You would think after being beaten half to death you would feel like death. Not to mention all the bruising and cuts."

"The truth is Harry, you have no bruising or cuts."

"What? What happened? Did I die? Is this some kind of gateway or something?"

Albus, chuckling softly, said, "Oh no Harry, you are definitely not dead, you are very much alive. Much more alive than anybody else in this world and it has everything to do with that wonderful young woman lying next to you."

"What did Ginny do? I know something happened last night between the two of us, but I'm not sure what. Do you know what happened?"

"I'm almost positive that I do Harry, but I suggest that we wait until the rest of your friends return from breakfast. They will most likely want to hear this too. I need to go up to my office and get something before we discuss this anyways. I shall be back soon Harry," said Albus, turning to leave.

Harry, deep in thought, did not notice Ginny stirring next to him.

"Hey there love," said Ginny, fingers running through Harry's hair.

"Hey Ginny," said Harry.

"Is something wrong Harry? Cause you look worried, and I feel worried."

"Ginny? Do you know what happened last night?"

"No. All I remember is telling you that I love you, then falling asleep on your chest."

"Something odd must have happened last night. Albus said I was completely healed, and it was because of you. He said, that he'd explain it to us, so I suppose we'll just have to wait until he gets back."

Instead of verbally responding, Ginny simply snuggled closer to Harry, while Harry responded by wrapping his arms tighter around her.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

"Oh, yeah? Try me."

"Since I was ten years old."

"I see. We'll just have to make up for lost time then, won't we?"

"I suppose we will," Ginny said, leaning down towards Harry.

A smile on his face, Harry sat up and closed the distance between the two of them. As their lips met, they both finally achieved what they had wanted, and they both somehow knew that this is where they wanted to be for the rest of their lives. Unbeknownst to them, a wave of very ancient and little known magic emanated from their bodies.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Ginny?"

"Since when you have you felt this way about me?"

Harry was about to open his mouth and respond when a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Yes Harry, I believe that we would all like to know when this occurred," said Ron, his voice laced with malice.

"Go away Ron! This isn't about you," Ginny responded, her voice shaking with rage.

"No. I want an answer. All of a sudden all of us in this castle get this weird feeling, and Dumbledore tells us to go and check on you and see how you were doing. I come up here to talk to my friend, and find you snogging my sister. Why is that Harry?"

"Calm down Ron," interjected Hermione, "We all know how Harry is about his feelings," she paused and smiled apologetically at Harry, "He may have felt this way about her for a long time."

"Is this true Harry?" Ginny asked, hope shining in her eyes, and a feeling of hope running through Harry.

"Yes."

As soon as that one word left Harry's mouth, all the color had drained out of Ron's face. Swaying back and forth on his feet, looking as if he had just found his mother in bed with Draco Malfoy, Ron slumped to the floor. Ginny simply rolled her eyes, while Hermione revived him.

"Thanks for the support Ron," bitingly said Harry.

"Yeah well, that's my only sister, and all of a sudden I find my best mate snogging her in bed.

"Shut up Ron! Just listen to his explanation," said Hermione.

Ron slumped back in the chair, whether this was from his recent fainting spell or Hermione telling him to shut up, no one knew. He wasn't in any position for further interruptions anyways. Nodding his thanks to Hermione, Harry started in on his story.

"Well I guess it all started back in my fourth year, back when I was trying to find a date for the Yule Ball."

At this Ginny grumbled something about making Harry regret that day, but Harry wasn't having any of it.

Chuckling, Harry continued with his story, "There's a good explanation for that Ginny. Well for me it is, but I'm sure it isn't for you. Anyways, when Ron suggested that, I never really considered it. At that point all I really considered you as was a sister. Anyways, when I saw you dancing that night with Neville, I had this weird feeling. I just passed it off as feeling protective of you, but it didn't really feel that way to me, and I just ignored that feeling."

"There were many other incidents after that, but they were mostly minor, and I was easily able to convince myself otherwise. You were Ron's sister, after all, and I kept trying to convince myself of that. But as time passed, that got harder and harder. Things finally came to a head, that day of that first D.A. meeting in the Hog's Head. Hermione "casually" let slip that you were dating Mich…, that git, and this time what I felt I knew wasn't that brotherly protectiveness. It was full blown jealously and envy. I wanted to be the one with you. Once things fell apart with Cho, I was going to say something, but then the whole business with the Ministry came about, and what I was planning to do about you was pushed to the side."

"Harry…."

"No, Ginny. Just let me finish my story."

"Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah. After the Ministry. I had finally made my decision, and I was planning on saying something to you before we separated for the summer. Of course, like everything in my life, my delicately laid plans fill apart. You mentioned to Ron about how you were dating Dean, and I was crushed. I had finally gotten my act together, and you had moved on"

"I never really moved on Harry, I've always loved you and wanted to be with you, and at your side for the duration of our time spent on earth."

"I'm sorry I was never able to get my act together sooner Ginny."

"That's alright now, what's an extra year or two of waiting, when we have the rest of eternity together?"

"Very true," Harry said, looking into her eyes, as he wrapped his arms around Ginny, and leaned in to kiss her, they were interrupted by a very irate Ron.

"I believe that you have a story to finish Harry?"

Settling for only a brief kiss, Harry turned back to the rest of them and continued.

"Yes I suppose that I do. Well anyways, when you are more or less completely isolated for a month, you can get a lot of thinking done. I thought about Sirius, and I finally had accepted the fact that he was dead, and while not really my fault, I did play a part in it. I also thought about how I felt about Ginny, and I had come to the conclusion that I loved you. Not just passing love, but real love, the type that is embedded in your very soul. I…"

"Wait. Is that what you were going to tell me before you passed out yesterday? That you loved me?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Say it."

Looking straight into her eyes, Harry took a deep breath, and said with all the love that he felt for her, "I love you Ginny Weasley."

"I love you too, Harry Potter."

As a warm feeling spread throughout their bodies, touching their very soul, there was no stopping them this time. The light kiss that they had started very quickly turned into a deeper and more passionate one. As their lips parted and their tongues met, Ron decided this was time to intervene.

"All right you two," he said, as the two of them broke apart, "You'll have plenty of time to do this while I'm not around and feeling nauseated. I had a bloody good breakfast this morning and I don't feel like throwing up. We're going to go get Dumbledore and the rest of them. We'll see what they have to say about this."

Grabbing Hermione by the arm, she and Ron left the room.

Grinningly happily, Harry settled for sitting up and settling Ginny onto his lap. Ginny settled down into Harry's body, and Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist. As that odd, yet comforting, feeling of warmth entered his body, he decided to ask Ginny about something that had been on his mind all morning.

"Ginny? Have you noticed something strange this morning?"

"Besides waking up next to you?"

"Yeah, besides that."

"Not especially. Sometimes I've gotten a certain feeling of warmth that kind of settled itself into my body, not really. Why? Have you noticed something?"

"Yeah I have. It's kind of almost like I'm feeling emotions that aren't mine."

"You don't mean… You don't think? Volde….?"

"No, there's no chance that it's Voldemort. These are happy feelings. Like when I woke up this morning, I was happy beyond belief, but there was also an underlying feeling of warmth and safety that weren't mine. I mean, I felt that way, but this was different, it just kind of shot through me."

"Now that you mention it, something similar did happen to me. I woke up this morning feeling warm and safe, but then this wave of euphoria passed over me that definitely wasn't mine."

"You don't think, last night, might have…."

"I think we're both thinking similar things Harry."

"So you might tend to agree with me when I say that last night, some kind of emotional bond was formed between us?"

"That's exactly what I think, Harry," responded Ginny and Dumbledore simultaneously, who was standing in the doorway, a smile on his face. He walked into the private room, and sunk into the nearest arm chair, allowing himself to settle into the stuffing. He was closely followed by Arthur Weasley, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, and Remus. All of them had slightly confused expressions on their faces, except for Fred and George, who both displayed identical grins, and something shone in their eyes that Harry didn't like. Remus looked tired and haggard, as if the full moon was approaching. A feeling of apprehension passed through Harry.

"Harry," Ginny started, "Did you just feel apprehensive?"

"Yeah, I did."

Everyone in the room looked stunned at this announcement, everyone except for Dumbledore, who looked as calm and cool as collected. Molly Weasley on the other hand, looked positively murderous.

"Hello everyone," said Harry, quite tentatively as he glanced at Mrs. Weasley.

"Hi, mum, how are you?" Ginny asked cheerfully, perhaps a bit too cheerfully.

"Don't you start with me young lady, sitting in bed with Harry, acting like a scarlet woman. Have you no shame?"

Dread shot through Harry, as much Ginny's, as it was his. He decided to try stopping Mrs. Weasley before she totally blew up on Ginny.

"Mrs. Weasley…"

"Don't try and stop me Harry. I know this isn't your fault. I know it isn't your fault that Ginny decided to try and take advantage of you while you were unconscious."

"Mrs. Weasley…"

She decided to totally ignore him this time. "What about Dean, Ginny? I know you like Harry, but this is no reason to try and take advantage of what has happened to Harry and use it to you benefit. Now get out of that bed right now, and we'll see if we can't find a good nunnery out in Wales to put you up in."

As Ginny's eyes welled up with tears, Harry tried to put his arm around her to comfort her, but Mrs. Weasley didn't want to see that.

"Don't try and cover for her Harry. We know it isn't your fault. Get out of that bed right now Ginevra Weasley, and don't ever try this again!"

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but surprisingly enough it was Albus that intervened.

"If my theory of what happened last night is correct, you're going to sorely regret taking Ginevra out of that bed Molly."

"Nonsense! She is my daughter, and I will not have her acting this way!" Striding over to Ginny's side of the bed, she physically lifted and broke her away from Harry.

As soon as this happened, pain beyond pain shot through Harry's very mind, body, and soul. It felt as if someone was trying to drag out his soul from his ribcage. He was struggling to breathe properly, and his muscles didn't want to cooperate. Looking over at Ginny through this haze of pain, he knew that she felt the same way. She could barely stay upright, even with Mrs. Weasley's help, and before she was halfway to the door, she had collapsed.

"Get up Ginevra! We have no time for these games!"

"I can't get up," Ginny struggled to say, between the deep breaths she was taking, trying to steady herself, "I need to get back to…."

Crawling over to the bed, Harry reached over and pulled her up. As soon as the contact between the two was resumed, the pain dissipated almost instantly.

"GET OUT OF THE BED GINNY! WE ARE NOT DOING THIS!" raged Mrs. Weasley.

"Do not try to remove her again Molly," said Albus. "She can leave of her own free will, but a soon as you try and force them apart, that pain will return."

"What are you talking about Albus? Does this have something to do with last night?"

"It has everything to do with last night."

"What are you talking about Albus? Unless…. You couldn't possibly mean… They barely know each other!"

"Apparently they had some feelings for each other that they hid from everyone else. Isn't that right Harry, Ginevra?"

"Yes."

"I also believe that Ronald and Hermione heard the story behind this as well?"

"Yes."

"Alright, know that we know that this is true. I believe that I can explain to the rest of you here, what the technicalities of this are."

"Of what?" asked Harry, having absolutely no idea of what Albus was talking about. He

could feel Ginny's confusion as well.

"I am talking about your soul bond." A collective gasp went up around the room. "Last night was the first time this has happened in 250 years."

"So wait, this is why I can feel Ginny's emotions?"

"Yes it is. There are certain things this bond allows you to do, the first being allowing you to know each other better than any other couple on this planet. You will also be able to send magical energy across this bond, and you will also be able to feel each other's emotions."

"I see."

"Yes, it is a relatively simple concept. You have separate souls, but this magical bond allows you to connect at a magical and spiritual level that few can only dream of."

"Albus?" interjected Remus, "Is there any chance that this bond is one sided? Is it possible that only one of them is really in love with the other?"

Both Ginny and Harry could feel each other wonder this question as well.

"There is no chance of this what so ever," responded Albus, "A soul bond requires a deep seated love for the other person ingrained in your very soul. Very few people are born with the ability for a soul bond, and the first time you see this person that you are meant to bond with, you will know, and this will be the only person that you will ever be able to bond with. Even though it was a long time ago, I imagined something happened between Harry and Ginny on that platform on Harry's first day on the Hogwarts' Express."

"Could that be the reason why I've felt this way about Harry since I first saw him?"

"That is quite possible. No one ever really knows what the reaction is, the people that it happens too just know that something happened between them."

"I remember something," said Ron.

"What is that Ronald?" asked Molly, "Why haven't you said anything before?"

"I never really thought about it before, it's just that when Ginny wished Harry 'Good luck' on getting through the platform, both of them kind of had this white glow around them. I never really thought of it this way before, I figured it was just a trick of the light. Muggles have no idea how to create a decent artificial light."

"Could this be why I felt such a strong pull to save Ginny when she was trapped in the Chamber of Secrets?" at the mention of the Chamber, a sudden sadness engulfed Harry, and he knew it was from Ginny. He tightened her hold on her and comforted her with soothing words while he ran his free hand through her hair. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a very pointed look was directed at Mrs. Weasley from Dumbledore.

"That Harry, is quite possible an almost certainty. You may have not have known it yet, but when you feel her life to be in danger, you will have a sudden pull to find her and save her. The same will go for you Ginny, if you ever feel Harry in danger."

"Now, I also mentioned that you were able to push magical energy through this bond. Have you noticed anything that might be evidence of this Harry?"

"Well, I all my bruises and cuts are healed, and…" Harry reached up to his face where his glasses should have been, "I can see without my glasses!"

"Yes Harry, I believe that when this bond was formed, enough magical energy was passed through to allow you to fully heal, including your eyes."

"That's wonderful Harry!" said Ginny.

"No Ginny, it's not wonderful," a frown crossed her face, and everyone else's face in the room. "You're wonderful. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but intend on spending the rest of my life on proving it to you that I am worth it."

As with the last time that they verbally declared their love and devotion for each other, that warmth that seems to permeate every pore of your body, filled the room again.

"Harry, you don't have to do anything to deserve me. I've loved you forever, and this is like every dream come true for me. We deserve each other. I will take you up on that offer of proving that you're worth it though."

"Sounds like a deal."

"Was there ever any doubt?"

"None at all."

As everyone in the room looked at the two of them, eyes brimming with tears, they were unceremoniously knocked unconscious by the kiss that was shared between the two of them.

"Um Ginny?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Why is everyone else in the room lying on the floor?"

"Does it matter? I like them much better this way."

"As would I, but I want to finish this little discussion so we can go spend some time alone."

"Good idea. I don't have my wand though."

"Either do I. But I guess this is worth a shot."

Harry waved his hand across the group and murmured _"Rennervate"_. Surprising the both of them, everyone regained consciousness.

"Harry, did you know you could do this?"

"No, we'll talk about this later."

"Alright."

"Yes, it appears that because the bond is still newly formed, it's still heavily charged. The bond will begin to dissipate as the day wears on though. And there is only one way to recharge it."

"How is that?" asked Mrs. Weasley, already fearing the answer.

"The two of them will need to share a bed. Physical contact is the only way to recharge the bond, and during sleep is the most convenient way to do so."

A murmur of sound ran through everyone in the room, nothing really loud enough to discern.

"We'll deal with that as it comes though, for now, I'll demonstrate this little instrument that will prove the soul bond visually."

Pulling out the same silver instrument he had used that night that Mr. Weasley attacked, Dumbledore began to tap with his wand in a strange rhythm, murmuring something in another language that nobody could understand.

As he finished with a flourish, two red and gold phoenixes flew out of the instrument and hovered in mid-air. They were bound together with fine gold and red threads.

"Curious. Very curious. Everything is here that demonstrates the soul bond. The both of you have the same animal, the bi-colored threads are attaching them, but the color of the phoenixes is very odd. Normally, one of them would be red, and the other gold. But they are both red and gold."

"Is there something wrong sir?"

"Not really, Harry, just something odd going on. What you two have may be much more than a simple soul bond. You two may have something that is much more rare than that."

"A threading of the souls," Remus murmured.

"Indeed, I believe this is what we are seeing. It is extremely rare, but I guess it was bound to happen again eventually."

"A threading of the souls," asked Harry, "What does that mean?"

"It means Harry," answered Remus, "That both of you now hold within you a copy of the other's soul. When this happens, for lack of a better way to describe it, each of your souls will plant a seed of itself into the other's soul. Harry, you have Ginny's soul interwoven into your own, and you have Harry's Ginny. You still have one soul, but part of it is made up of the other person. You still have the typical bond, but your interwoven souls increase the potency of this bond exponentially."

"What Remus said is true. As was said before, this is very rare. Now one knows exactly what this means, or what you will be able to do. But for now, I think the rest of us will leave, and you and Ginevra can work out what this means for yourself."

"Thank you Headmaster," said Ginny.

"It has been my pleasure."

Albus turned to leave, ushering everyone else out of the room with him.

"Um, sir?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Just how rare is this type of occurrence?"

"It's only happened one other time in the past one thousand years."


End file.
